Symptoms and daily experiences reported by children with cancer using a game-based app.
Lauri A Linder, Amy Newman, Katherine M Bernier Carney and 9 others
PMID 35490550WHAT IT FOUND
Pain was reported by all school-age children with cancer using a game app between visits, and on 55.2% of days; fatigue was reported by 78.9% of children.
Their diary entries described ordinary play, school and family life alongside treatment bother.
Key findings
01Pain was reported by 100% of children and on 55.2% of days, fatigue by 78.9% of children and on 47.1% of days, and nausea by 57.9% of children and on 34.5% of reporting days.
02Fourteen participants (73.7%) had at least one day with a symptom of medium or greater severity and/or distress, and medium or greater severity occurred on 29.9% of symptom days.
03Children's free-text responses included symptoms not previously reported on the checklist and fell into three categories: usual childhood experiences, life with cancer, and indicators of daily feelings and experiences.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The analysis came from 19 children who completed a small feasibility trial, although 20 were enrolled. The sample was from one institution, had limited racial and ethnic diversity, and included heterogeneous diagnoses and treatment phases, so comparisons by age, gender, or diagnosis were not possible. App use varied from 1 to 12 days and from 5 days to 4 weeks of opportunity, so symptom trajectories between visits could not be inferred. Reasons for missing data were not asked, so it is unclear whether children did not use the app because they were too unwell or because they did not feel a need to report. The app did not include all possible symptoms, and open-ended responses named symptoms such as headache and vision aching. Physical activity goal types were not recorded, so the report cannot show which exercises or activities children chose. The report describes what children entered; it did not test whether the app improved symptoms, care, or quality of life.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the app improved symptoms or quality of life. This descriptive report only shows what children entered into the app during a feasibility trial.